Concussions: "Awareness, Education & Recognition' vital to limiting serious head injuries in athletics

December 31, 2014 at 11:20 a.m. | Updated December 31, 2014 at 11:20 a.m.

Concussion: a minor traumatic brain injury that can occur when a person's head hits an object, or a moving object hits the head. It can affect how the brain functions for a period of time, resulting in headaches, blurred vision, changes in alertness and, in some cases, loss of consciousness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 173,000 children and teenagers between 2001-2009 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for concussion-like symptoms related to sports and recreation activities.

One minute, Kelsey Roush was going full throttle on the basketball court, playing tenacious defense and chasing down rebounds with reckless abandonment.

The next minute, after a hard collision with another player, the California High School junior struggled to remember her own name.

"When I came off the court, our assistant coach said I complained about the noise, the lights and being really dizzy," she recalled during a recent interview. "I passed out in the locker room during halftime and they took me to the hospital. It was really scary."

Entering that 2013 basketball game, Roush never imagined her first serious head injury would result in a trip to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a severe concussion.

After spending an uncomfortable night surrounded by doctors and nurses, she was released from the hospital. The concussion symptoms, however, lingered for weeks.

"I had headaches for quite awhile," Roush said. "Sometimes, when I came back to school, I had to wear earplugs and sunglasses. It was pretty intense."